Tag: Ben McKenzie

Yes, National Science Week 2008 officially launches tonight at the MCG right here in Melbourne, and of course your intrepid Planet Nerd science reporter and all-round science fan, Ben McKenzie, will be right there in the thick of it. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some photos and stories to share with you, and in the near future even some video of interviews with the stars of Australian science.

Of course I have a few events of my own during Science Week; here’s a quick reminder:

– my new comedy science lecture at the Royal Society of Victoria, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of that great unread classic of popular science literature: Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. It’s on the last few days of Science Week – Friday, August 22 is a special matinee, free for schools, and there are two evening performances on the 23rd and 24th. The Historic Theatre is a beautiful venue, but not very big, so be sure to book! Details are .

Not the Nobel Prize – Melbourne Museum’s comedy panel show returns for a third year! See me and three other comedians – Courteney Hocking, Sam Simmons and Charlie Pickering – try and sort fact from fiction in the stories presented by four actual, qualified scientists! This usually sells out, so make sure you book your tickets! Details are here.

Also during Science Week, but not part of it, are a few other projects of mine:

The Anarchist Guild Social Committee meeting #3 – Melbourne’s newest comedy sensation, a live sketch comedy show at the Bella Union, Trades Hall, on the third Sunday of every month. It features yours truly as a writer and performer, and always fills to capacity. Details here.

Set List preview season – an all-new improvised music comedy show premiering at Fringe, but you can catch an early preview at The Butterfly Club from August 21 to 24. I’ll be performing in the first show on Thursday, August 21. Details here.

Impro Sundae – top-notch improvised comedy with The Crew, second and fourth Sunday every month, also at the Bella Union. Details here.

First, he returns to Melbourne Museum for Not the Nobel Prize on Friday, August 22. Following on from last year’s hit show, Ben will join fellow a panel of fellow comedians as they pit their wits against actual scientists to sort science fact from science fiction.

And, from August 22 to 24, Ben launches a new show, A Brief History of A Brief History of Time, at the Royal Society of Victoria. He’ll prove you don’t need 12 degrees to understand Stephen Hawking’s great unread classic, A Brief History of Time.

Check out the show page for more details, and visit the National Science Week web site to see what else is happening in Melbourne and all round Australia.

The Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour finishes this week, and after some of the great reviews we’ve had from The Groggy Squirrel and UK comedy site Chortle, our last two nights are sure to be a great success. So come on down! Tonight, Ben McKenzie, Bec Hill and Sue-Ann Post will be your guides, and on Friday, Ben and Bec will instead be joined by Kent Valentine.

It’s the last days too for A Record or an OBE, the what if play about hit 70s British comedy group The Goodies. OBE plays this Saturday and Sunday, the 5th and 6th of April, and then every night next week until the 13th of April, with no show on Monday; there are also plans for a late show at 11 PM on Friday, April 11th; watch Shaolin Punk for details!

The Man is back! This Comedy Festival Ben McKenzie hosts the Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour. Presented by Shaolin Punk and Melbourne Museum, the Man and his team of hilariously interesting comedians will treat you to an evening of science, history and laughter as you wander the spooky silent halls of Melbourne Museum after closing time. Head to the for dates, times and line-ups! Tickets are on sale now via the Comedy Festival web site.